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Violinist Maxine Kwok with all the instruments she ever wanted to play

Maxine Kwok opens up a selection of classical music from a violinist’s point of view - revealing familiar and unfamiliar works in a new light.

Maxine Kwok is a violinist in the London Symphony Orchestra who adores the lush sounds of Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Erich Korngold, so she’s finding it hard to adjust to having to play music on a smaller scale under the current circumstances. This is a chance for her to play some of that music, alongside a piece of Gershwin that feeds her urge to tap-dance, a Chopin nocturne that she found was easier on the violin than the piano, and a flute concerto that made her want to give that instrument a try.

She also remembers the thrill of playing Verdi’s La Traviata in the orchestra pit and how Star Wars led her to the LSO in the first place.

A series in which each week a musician explores a selection of music - from the inside.

A Tandem Production for BBC Radio 3

1 hour, 56 minutes

Last on

Sat 5 Dec 2020 13:00
BBC Radio 3

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Violinist Jack Liebeck discovers musical rebels and pure romanticism

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Music Played

  • Claude Debussy

    Arabesque No. 1

    Performer: Ernestine Stoop.
    • GLOBE.

  • Malcolm Arnold

    Concerto No. 1 Op. 45 for flute and strings - 1st movement

    Performer: Karen Jones. Ensemble: London Musici. Director: Mark Stephenson.
    • DECCA.

  • Giuseppe Verdi

    Ah! Dite alla giovine from La Traviata, Act 2

    Singer: Sherrill Milnes. Singer: Ileana Cotrubaș. Orchestra: Bavarian State Orchestra. Conductor: Carlos Kleiber.
    • DG.

  • George Gershwin

    Fascinatin' Rhythm

    Performer: Wayne Marshall. Music Arranger: Wayne Marshall.
    • ERATO.

  • John Adams

    Short ride in a fast machine

    Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker. Conductor: Alan Gilbert.

  • Frédéric Chopin

    Nocturne in C sharp minor

    Performer: Nathan Milstein. Performer: Josef Blatt.
    • BRIDGE.

  • Richard Strauss

    Don Juan, Op. 20

    Orchestra: Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. Conductor: David Zinman.
    • ARTE NOVA.

  • Felix Mendelssohn

    Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, 2nd movement

    Performer: Julia Fischer. Performer: Daniel Müller‐Schott. Performer: Jonathan Gilad.
    • PENTATONE.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 - 1st movement

    Orchestra: Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.

  • Igor Stravinsky

    Pulcinella - VII - Vivo (Menuet, Finale)

    Orchestra: Tapiola Sinfonietta. Conductor: Masaaki Suzuki.
    • BIS.

  • Erich Wolfgang Korngold

    Violin Concerto - II - Romance: Andante

    Performer: Anne‐Sophie Mutter. Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: André Previn.
    • DG.

  • Astor Piazzolla

    Libertango

    Ensemble: Astor Piazzolla Ensemble.
    • NASCENTE.

  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Cello Concerto No. 1 - I - Allegretto

    Performer: Yo‐Yo Ma. Orchestra: The Philadelphia Orchestra. Conductor: Eugene Ormandy.
    • SONY.

  • Gustav Mahler

    Symphony No. 5 "Adagietto" - 4th movement

    Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Leonard Bernstein.
    • DG.

  • John Rutter

    Angels' Carol

    Choir: The Cambridge Singers. Conductor: John Rutter.
    • UCJ.

  • John Williams

    The Imperial March from Star Wars Soundtrack

    Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: John Williams.
    • WALT DISNEY RECORDS.

Broadcast

  • Sat 5 Dec 2020 13:00
    BBC Radio 3

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